The bottom line is clear: Our vital interests in Afghanistan are limited and military victory is not the key to achieving them. On the contrary, waging a lengthy counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan may well do more to aid Taliban recruiting than to dismantle the group, help spread conflict further into Pakistan, unify radical groups that might otherwise be quarreling amongst themselves, threaten the long-term health of the U.S. economy, and prevent the U.S. government from turning its full attention to other pressing problems. -- Afghanistan Study Group

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Kirkuk:#1: Two Iraqi policemen have been wounded when unknown gunmen threw a hand grenade at them in Kirkuk, a local police officer said on Thursday. “On Thursday, unknown gunmen threw a hand grenade at an emergency police patrol on al-Korneesh St., southern Kirkuk, wounding two personnel,” Lt. Col. Kamel Ahmed told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Al Anbar Prv:#1: One policeman was killed and five others were injured when a bomber blew himself up in eastern Ramadi, a local police source said on Thursday. “During an early hour this morning, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a gathering by police and army personnel close to Albo Ebeid area,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

A 17-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up in the house of Colonel Waleed Mohammed, who heads the Department of Fighting Terrorism in the town of Hit, killing three people and wounding three others on Wednesday, police said. Mohammed was not there at the time of the attack. Hit is about 130 km (80 miles) west of Baghdad.

#2: Two bombs placed near a police station wounded three policemen on Wednesday in a town near the city of Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, police said

Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"#1: A civilian helicopter carrying two German troops and a group of engineers has made a 'hard landing' in northern Afghanistan after coming under attack by Taliban militants. The chopper made an emergency landing in the Dashti Archi district after it was hit by small arms fire at 12:30 local time (0800 GMT) on Wednesday. All people aboard discharged the helicopter after the incident but were then targeted by the militants. However, no casualties were reported in the incident, Pajwak News Agency said. Dashti Archi governor Sheikh Saauddin said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopters airlifted the military personnel to a base in the northern Kunduz province.

#2: Security forces killed four militants in a clash in the northwestern region of Orakzai, a local government official said.

#3: Separately, residents found two bodies of pro-government tribal elders, believed to have been killed by Taliban militants, on the side of a road in the region on Thursday, local officials said.

#4: Pakistan's security forces on Thursday killed at least 10 militants and injured two others in retaliation when a group of them attacked a security check post in northwest Pakistan's tribal area, local sources said. It was the second attack launched by militants against the security forces in the Orakzai tribal agency in the last 24 hours.